UNDERSTANDING EMOTIONS … Swami Tejomayananda ... Part 6 - Contd.

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6. The Power of Emotion

 

We is an emotion? Emotion is a feeling. It has great power! It is a

force. Both thought and emotion have great energy. Therefore, we can

say, " Emotion is that which sets you in motion! " Once emotion arises

and that power is activated, we cannot sit quietly. We may

wonder, " Is it a good or bad power? " Power is power, but we still

classify some emotions as positive and some as negative, at least in

the early stages of inquiry. We understand them in that way because

our mind works in duality. And as long as the mind remains in

duality, our problems remain.

 

As we said, emotion is a power, which influences all our thoughts and

actions. In fact, it influences our entire life. Sometimes emotion is

only a reaction. We have discovered that certain emotions bring

agitation, unrest, unhappiness, conflict, struggle and frustration,

and make us miserable. These are considered to be negative emotions

because the final result is unhappiness. On the other hand, there are

emotions that evoke feelings of calmness, peace, happiness and

harmony and we feel elevated. These are considered as positive. If we

observe our emotions we can analyze the positive and the negative

effects they have on our mind. For instance, when there is love,

kindness, and compassion the mind automatically becomes calm. But

where there is anger, hatred, and jealousy, the immediate effect is

agitation. Most of us shout when we are angry. When we don't like

someone distance is created, and we want to throw that person out of

our heart.